Bracelet-link.



A. EKLUND.

BRACELET LINK. APPLICATION FILED MAR.24. 1915.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

ASHI

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH burn an AT @FFME.

ALEXANDER EKLUND, 0F ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 STURDY- CUMMINGS COMPANY, OF ATTLEBORO FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

BRACELET-LINK.

intrinsic.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

To all whom it may} concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER EKLUND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Attleboro, in the county of Bristoland State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bracelet-Links, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a connecting link for bracelets and the like, and has for its object to provide a link of'this character having a hook shaped member adapted to be moved to locked position to retain the same, whereby it may be readily connected to and disconnected from the adjacent links or members.

A further objectof this invention is the provision of means in the link whereby another link in the bracelet may be connected to the pivoted end of the hooklink so that a strain on the bracelet serves to lock the closed hook more firmly.

It is found inthe practical use of expandible bracelets more vparticularly that class commonly known as watch bracelets where the ends of the bracelet are permanently attached to the watch that it is often necessary to strain the bracelet in trying to eX- pand the same sufficiently to pass it over the hand onto the wrist of the wearer, and to obviate this difliculty, l have provided aconnecting link which is provided with a hook member adapted to be readily attached to and detached froman eye member on the watch so that instead of passing the bracelet over the hand the end may be connected to the watch when in position on thewrist. Then again by the use of my connecting link, if the bracelet'is found to be too small for the wrist a separate link may be readily inserted in the bracelet to permanently extend its length. With these and other objectsin view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1- is a side elevation of the usual extendible form of watch bracelet with my improved connecting links attached to the loops on the watch case. Fig.'2 is a top view of the guide link member of my improved link showing the two trough shaped members connected together Tat each end by V a bridge. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of holds the hook member in locked position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the H shaped member which is designed to fit into the shoe member for the purpose of confining the spring therein. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on line 88 of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a top view of the guide link with its trough shaped members in section showing the spring retaining mechanism mounted within the same. Fig. 10- is 'a side elevation showing one of the trough members removed from the guide link and the shoe shown insection therein. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the guide link and the hook link raised into inoperative position on its pivot. Fig. 12- is an end View of the guide link showing its members in open position and the wings of one member which are adapted to be folded about the tongue of the other member to lock this end of the two trough'members together.

Referring to the drawings, 15 designates the guide link member of my improved connecting link, said guide link being formed of two trough shaped members 16 and 17 connected together by bridges 18 and 19 respectively, at their opposite ends, one of said bridges 18 being preferably formed integral' with these members and the other bridge being formed by the folding of the wings 20'on the member 17, see Fig. 12, over the tongue 21 on the member 16, but any means of connecting the bridges on these members may be employed. lVhen these trough members are properly connected together there is a longitudinal space 22 formed between them in which ismounted the hook link 23. This book link is preferably formed of a strip of flat stock of the desired thickness, one end 24 of which is rolled under to form a pivot eye 25, and the opposite end 26 is bent around intoa hook form having'an open mouth 27 for the purpose of releasably engaging the next adjacent member. 'In order to pivotally mount this hook linkin the guide link, I have *provided a joint member 28 having a base por- V i members '16 and F17 near the bridge 18 at one'end'of theguide .link and thefihook link isarranged to swing into the space between these-trough membersfto-fill thesame on'one side, and-the hook end is "designed to snap over 'the bridge member 19 at 'its corresponding end a'ndengage the underneath side of. thejbridge 19 while i'the'bodyof this member restsupon th'e opposite-edge of said bridge. It will be 1noted that the hook .portion' of this hook link extends -'wll beyond the end of the guide link, leaving sufficient space at 42 for the reception of another member shown in dotted linesa t a, which may 'be thefbail on the side of the watch 'case. By constructing this connectinglink with a's ingle'hookmember for "filling'the space between the trough members, on oneside thereof, it willj'be noted that thespace-on-the opposite side of said members would be left open, therefore to close this space and also the space on the opposite side beneath the hook link when the -latter is raised, and for a "further purpose-of providing a housing for the'spring 29, 1 have formed a shoe member which is constructed of a piece of sheet stock, see Fig. 6, folded over in substantially'a U shape-the lowerbranch 30 having inset edges 31, see 'Fig. 8, for over-lappingthe inner side edges-of the trough members 16 and '17 and close the space between them. A groove is formed in the branch '32 on the opposite side and the edges of this branch are turned outward to abut the inner side of those of the opposite trough members '16 and 17, which groove serves to receive the body of the hook "link when swungdown to operativeposition. The 'bridgeportion 33 of this U shaped shoe member is provided with cars 34 adapted to be bent to project into the spaces between the branches 'forming a pocket to retain the ends of the spring.

In order toprovide .a suitable abutment for the outer end of spring 30, I have provided an H shaped member 35, see Fig. '7, whose longest legs '36 extend'into the side spaces "in the shoemember, and whose shorter legs -"37"engage the bridge portion '19 of the guide member. The crossbar 38 of the H serving as an'abuttingwall for one end of the springwhile its other end rests against the bridge 83fof the shoe. 'F'In'the forming of the joint member '28, I "have made the joint ears'pf-sufic'ieht'length to leaves-space "endof the hook link it is only necessary to pass a member 40 of the adajacent link around both the bridge portion 18 of the -slide link and the bridge portion 30 of the 3P1V0t ,joint so that when it is desired to connect two links together the hook of one may be passed around both of these bridge members 18 and 30 as illustrated at 41 in Fig. 10 or as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 9.

By the use of my improved connecting link, I am enabled to readily disconnect the bracelet :from the eye on a watch and after positioning the watch onthe arm, the'bracelet may be readily attached by the one remaining free hand of the wearer, it being only necessary to close the hook link over the end of the guide link and the chain of links-is again complete and firmly attached to the watch. Then again'by my improved construction owing to the fact that the adj acent links of the bracelet are connected to the pivoted end of the hooklink, the greater the strain applied to the bracelet'the tighter is drawn the closed hook into locked position. A further advantage of my improved link is'tha't when the bracelet is found to be too smalltoencircle'the wrist of the wearer one or more single links may be readily inserted in the bracelet for the purpose of lengthening the same.

'I claim:

1. In a bracelet a connecting link comprising a guidelink, a hook link having one end pivotally and slidably connected in and adjacent one end of said guide link and having its free opposite end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook to releasably engage the next adjacent member the end of said hook being adapted to swing down over and engage the corresponding end of said guide link, and means for retaining said hook in engaged position.

7 2. In a bracelet a'connecting link comprising a guide link, a hook link pivotally mounted at one end in said guide link adjacent one end thereof, the free end of the hook'link being bent in the form of an open mouthed'hook to releasably engage the next adjacent member, said hook being adapted to swing down over and releasably engage the corresponding end of said guide link and a spring acting upon said hook link to move the same endwise and retain the hook in engaged position.

' 3; In a bracelet a connecting link comprising a guide link, a hook link having one end pivotally connected in and adjacent one end of said guide link and having its free end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook-to releasably engage the next adjacent member and the end of said hook being adapted it'O :swing down over and engage the corresponding end of said guide link, means for retaining said hook in engaged position, and means whereby the tension on the bracelet links tends to lock the closed hook more firmly.

4. In a bracelet a connecting link comprising a guide link and hook link, said guide link comprising a pair of trough shaped members connected together by bridges at opposite ends and spaced apart from each other, said hook link being pivotally and slidably mounted at one end in the space between said guide link and having its free end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook to releasably engage the next adjacent member and the end of said book being adapted to swing down over and engage the bridge portion of the corresponding end of the guide link and means for retaining said hook in engaged position.

5. In a bracelet, a connecting link comprising a guide link and hook link, said guide link comprising a pair of trough. shaped members connected together at opposite ends and spaced apart from each other, said hook link being pivotally mounted at one end in the space between said guide link and having its free end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook being adapted to swing down over and engage the corresponding end of the guide link, means for retaining said hook in engaged position, and means whereby another adjacent link may be connected to the pivoted end of said hook whereby a strain on the bracelet tends to lock the closed hook more firmly.

. 6. In a bracelet, a connecting link comprising a guide link and hook link, said guide link comprising a pair of trough shaped members connected together at opposite ends and spaced apart from each other, said hook link being pivotally mounted at one end in the space between said guide links and having its free end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook to releasably engage the next adjacent member and the end of said hook being adapted to swing down over and engage the corresponding end of the guide link and a spring pressed shoe slidably mounted in said guide link acting upon the hook to yieldably retain the same in locked position.

7. In a'bracelet, a connecting link comprising a guide link and hook link, said guide link comprising a pair of trough shaped members connected together at opposite ends and spaced apart from each other, said hook link being pivotally mounted in a slidable member at one end in the space between said guide links and having its free end bent into the form of an open mouthed hook to releasably engage the next adjacent member and the end of said book being adapted to swing down over and engage the corresponding end of the guide link and a spring pressed shoe slidably mounted in said guide link acting upon the hook to yieldably retain the same in locked position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER EKLUND.

Witnesses:

HowARn E. BARLOW, A. F. MACREADY.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. O. 

